Hello again, I’ve missed you all! I haven't posted recently due to some wonderful unexpected (!)developments and I can't wait to share them with you. Lately I was thinking about the power of dreams versus the power of reality.How does one go, from a kitchen to the Pursuit of Excellence?You first have to dream it, people say and that is half the journey. That one single step of dreaming of what could be is enough to get you surprisingly far, yet so many people are afraid to dream.

I dreamt too, an ambitious but straightforward dream: I wanted to create a brand of cosmetics, proudly made in Cyprus, unparalleled to any other Cypriot brand existing in the past or present. Uncompromised quality, vintage luxury and authenticity, but, like the scents that captivated my imagination during my childhood, I dreamt of creating cosmetics so distinctively scented that would have the power to invoke vivid memories. On I went to create my cosmetics, developed very specific scents and brought the challenge of bottling memories to the table. Every product was dreamt before it was developed. Every label imagined, before it was designed and created.

“What it easy?”, people have asked me. Hell no!“Was it expensive to develop a brand?”, people ask. “, emotionally and physically speaking, of course!” I reply.“Was it worth it?” Absolutely! “Was it impossible?” I ask you in return. ​

​In hindsight, it obviously wasn’t impossible in the literal sense, because here we are. If I had a cent for every time a “reality obstacle” was pointed out to me or popped up at the worst possible moment, I would have been wealthy enough to retire early (or, more probably, I would have developed more cosmetic lines). I was told how an “unimaginable” amount of money is needed to start and develop a new business. “A mountain” of information, knowledge, experience and know-how was essential before a single person could even begin to dream of creating a brand, much less dare reach out to international markets.

The people around me were supportive enough, trying to be “realistic”, to help HGC grow, help me achieve my dream. But “realism” can be and often is, not exactly “realistic”. Reality is a perception, an amalgam of previous experience, accumulated knowledge, learning from past mistakes, yet as we are taught in the business world, the past is not always the best place to seek potential solutions for the future. The world around us is dynamic, the past and present don’t have the same circumstances. Any person working in business can tell you that the choice towards pursuing or rejecting an investment can legitimately be based on less tangible criteria, such as gut feelings and patience.

I didn’t imagine the brand would grow so quickly. In the beginning, I remember not feeling fear, I felt excitement and nothing much else really. As things started to grow to an unimaginable scale, suddenly everything felt so much bigger than me and then I started feeling uncertain… What if we couldn’t grow any further from here? Then all of a sudden, we got a phone call from the official Rolls-Royce Club, announcing to us that we had been selected as “Partners of Choice” to be featured in the R.R.E.C. publication of 2018 entitled “The Pursuit of Excellence”. A handful of brands are selected from all over the world each year to receive this distinction as representative of excellence, luxury and elegance and we are the first Cypriot brand to receive it! The whole team was excited, the public embraced our achievement and I still can’t believe it.

Dare to Dream and the whole world will Dream with you. Life works in strange ways, the wonderful system of human interaction may be chaotic but if there is one thing I learned, be not afraid. As one of my favourite authors described: When you dream of jumping out in the open, sometimes you wake up before you hit the ground and truly enough sometimes you crash. But sometimes you fly. (Neil Gaiman, The Sandman)

​​Let's talk about inspiration. That tiny spark that flickers to life at the most unexpected of times.

A tiny flame has been floating in your conscious. A smell, a person, a picture, a texture, a feeling or the change of the season, which fans into a bigger spark.

​​​This spark piques the curiosity, captures the attention, awakens the imagination and starts rushing towards the what if...? Autumn, when your senses become aware of new changes in the things you see, the fabrics you touch, the air you smell, the changes nature goes through. ​

​What better time for that tiny, growing spark to catch fire! The tiny flame? The excitement of Miss Gardenia and Miss Velvet and which avenue to take next. The smell? Talc and its reminiscence of bygone eras where passion, elegance and mystery lived. Citrus blossoms with their velvety texture on display, welcoming the new season. White musk, the cool, smooth, sweet scent transporting you.

​​The perfect time to introduce you to Miss PomPom, a strikingly beautiful woman from a bygone era who moves sensuously and with grace. Her perfume a breath of pure talc heaven. Her body lotion a unique combination of the finest ingredients to transport you to an interwar era.

​​She slowly straightens her shoulders, checks her reflection one last time before stepping onto the stage to perform, striding forth with all the old-school glamour only she can deliver.

​They say behind every great man there is a great woman, in our case behind our brand there is a great team. A team of enthusiastic people the crème de la crème of their working fields.

​​Miss Pom Pom would have stayed a dream in my imagination for ever without them. Anna Apostolou managed to capture her spirit in her beautiful illustrations, John Foradaris gave her life by combining illustrations and graphics and creating her beautiful packaging and Antonis Farmakas created a photo shooting that gave her wings to fly.

​​Thank you all so much for believing in my vision, working very hard to deliver your amazing work and making Miss Pom Pom come to life. So welcome to her world and allow her delicate talc scent of innocence create unforgettable memories of Pureness...

​Writing this new blog post really lights me up! As always, I’m extremely grateful for your encouraging support and feedback and it brings me the utmost joy to know that you follow and read my blog. I thank you for the honor. ​I have been meaning to communicate with you all about a topic that is very close to my heart. You see, inspiration can have a profound effect on a person, levitating you from the lowest position to a place of value and worth. What better way to get inspiration than by learning from your very own mistakes?

Everything I have ever really needed to learn, I learned through the power of mistakes or, to be fair, from making mistakes. Big or small, these mistakes are the reason I have learned what my true calling is and for that I am forever grateful. These slip-ups which, I must admit, at times did feel that it was game over, the end of the world.

In life, I have painstakingly learned, nothing important comes easy. You have to work hard for everything you earn. Even when you get the things you want, it’s a constant struggle to maintain them. And that’s where the passion comes in, right? Overcoming mistakes takes you on a journey and it is this constant drive that keeps you motivated and keeps you going.

We often call ourselves failures when we err in life, thinking it is the worst of situations, but, as Janet Fitch has so elegantly quoted, “The phoenix must burn to emerge”, so must we feel the burn of failure in order to emerge as successful. In my humble opinion it is far better to regret the things you did than the things you didn’t do. This is a motto I have lived by my entire life.

There are many things in life that you do not succeed at at first, but it is your resilience and constant motivation that causes you to perfect it. As a kid cooking was such a task for me and, surprisingly, this is where much of my brand’s personality has developed from. As Julia Child once quoted, “The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you've got to have a what-the-hell attitude.”, I learned to take on challenges head on.

It was the freedom to blend and pair spices and flavors that cooking gave me, and the countless mistakes I made, thatopenned me up to the idea of applying similar concepts to cosmetics. In the process, my cooking drastically improved as well! *wink*

​Of course, all of this would be impossible to achieve if I had given up after my first setback! Even if you fall, even if you stumble, get back up again and do your thing! The entire struggle is only making you better, stronger and helping you keep moving forward.

Success is only as near as you want it to be, so keep on trying till the end!

​Building something beautiful out of a mere idea is never an easy task, visualizing your dreams takes hard work, joining the pieces together takes effort; but one thing is for certain, it always pays off. When I started making my first products in my kitchen, I simply felt the urge to produce the products that I never seemed to be able to find or afford in the market. I did not start with a clear vision, and frankly, I had no idea what my first product, Bee All, would look or feel like.

But the passion for creating something wonderful urged me to take that first step, so I took a big breath and jumped into the deep waters. With a leap of faith that one night, I turned these notions into a real life product and without really realizing it, started the journey of Hermann cosmetics. ​

Knowledge is power and a lot of research goes into creating the ultimate product. Soon after that night I started reading and researching day and night. No fatigue or sleep would stop me from pursuing what I believed in and I would often look forward to getting home and experimenting in my kitchen. I tracked down some amazing local producers of organic herbs, raw materials and essential oils, and the harder I strived, the luckier I got!

More people started getting involved and before I knew it my team comprised of some of the most brilliant and empathetic people I could ever wish for. Joining forces, we attempted to create this Cypriot brand, Hermann Gourmet Cosmetics.

I had wanted to produce something different from mainstream cosmetic industries and that was when i thought of using ancient recipes containing simple ingredients that stood the test of time. The richness of beeswax would provide the velvetiness for Bee Lips; the sweet aroma of geranium essential oil would be used for the night cream, utilizing the natural nourishment locked within these ingredients provided extra richness and a soothing feeling to my products.

As simple as it sounds, creating a brand name and reputation is no easy feat. It takes time, effort, teamwork and commitment to build something beautiful. The key is to never give up in what you truly believe in, success will ultimately follow. There were people who tried to dissuade and discourage me, that I was kind of crazy trying to create a brand right in the middle of a terrible economical crisis. But again I took an even deeper breath and blocked out those voices and listened to my instincts to move forward with my dreams.

They always say, “Life is too short for regrets”, but I don’t agree. Life is too short to not follow your ambitions; it is too short to give up on ideas that could make a difference in the world. A few days ago I received a rather welcoming call from the Cyprus embassy in Berlin, informing me that they loved the brand. ​

Overwhelmed, I nearly dropped the phone and just then heard that our new eye cream, Bee Eye had been voted by beauty bloggers in Germany as a product of the year! Words cannot describe my gratitude, truth be told, I feel like so many people have worked hard to make this happen, from developing the ancient recipe to combining the natural ingredients with innovative technology. From flowers of Cyprus inspired illustrations to graphics, printing, and every other department, Hermann Cosmetics is a combination of the efforts of its entire team!I look forward to sharing more great news of the Hermann cosmetics story.

It’s quite exciting to be able to finally communicate with you all through this post; frankly, it feels as if a long dream is finally being answered. A concept very close to my heart is being pursued on our blog and I could not be happier! Before I share my ideas with you all, let me take this opportunity to walk you through the story of Hermann gourmet cosmetics. ​​​It all started back in 2014; a simple idea was conceived in a small kitchen in Nicosia, Cyprus to make natural cosmetics using simple and affordable ingredients.

​Musing with this idea that night it was there in that tiny kitchen that I produced my first batch of cream capable of gently nourishing the skin to bring out its inner radiance.

There was something special about resorting back to a more traditional way of skincare that appealed to us. Tried and tested recipes used by generation after generation, simple ancient secrets locked within these concoctions.

These recipes are highly effective at treating the skin and contain the nourishing power of natural oils that protect and deeply moisturize the skin. We later combined them with the latest scientific beauty technology working closely with botanists and dermatologists to produce a rich blend of formula with the aroma and texture preserved in its natural state. Our line offers a unique and exclusive range of cosmetics with authentic and natural active ingredients, defining our concept of Hermann gourmet cosmetics.

​Cruelty is not beautiful and neither is any cosmetic made through the torture of animals. Anyone who knows me personally knows the love I share with animals, especially dogs.

I have two wonderfully active pooches: Anna and Zannax, to think that dogs and other animals suffer at the hands of cosmetic markets is a grotesque concept for me. As a brand, we strictly oppose animal cruelty and animal testing and make no use of animal products in any of our cosmetic lines. We advocate the fight against animal brutality and make sure we use this platform as a way to address this issue to the public. That is one of the major objectives of our unique brand identity.

We strongly support the determination and efforts of PETA to fight against animal cruelty, admiring their dedication and endless efforts to eradicate animal cruelty throughout the world. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is the largest and the most active animal rights organization around the globe. It aspires to draw attention to areas where animals suffer the most including cosmetic industries and laboratory testing.

I am quite pleased to announce that hermann gourmet cosmetics is officially registered as the first Cyprus-based cosmetic brand to have earned the seal of cruelty-free from People of Ethical treatment of Animals (PETA). This seal makes us one of the ambassadors of cruelty-free brands and a part of PETA’s international database. Reaching to this point has been a tumultuous journey with many highs and lows; however, the honor bestowed on our brand is gratifying beyond belief. ​

We are ecstatic to be a part of PETA’s international family and it is an honor to be a part of the battle that aims to eliminate animal cruelty and abuse. Hermann cosmetics is officially registered on PETA’S BEAUTY WITHOUT BUNNIES program.Emerging from a small kitchen on an island to being labeled with PETA, our brand is ready to cover new lengths of success along the way. Looking back at the journey fills us with happiness and joy; however, there are many roads yet to be conquered.You are precious to us. It is our deepest aspiration to continue making the best handmade and natural gourmet cosmetics for you. Our priorities lie in providing our local customers with gentle and natural routes to beauty and expand internationally to introduce the best natural creations from our kitchen to the world. PETA’S BEAUTY WITHOUT BUNNIES program has led us to believe that there are still so many paths left for us to overcome. We are happy to have your support with us on the way to becoming a well-established gourmet cosmetics brand.We will keep in touch to let you know what’s next for Hermann cosmetics!lots of love,